Like A Monkey On a Pedestal
by SingsongRandom
Summary: Jenna laments losing Paul to Cher.


Title: Like A Monkey On A Pedestal

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Jenna/Paul, Jenna/Frank (friendship?)

Word Count: 708

Spoilers: "I Do Do"

Summary: Jenna laments losing Paul to Cher.

Disclaimer: I don't own the _30 Rock _or _The Drowsy Chaperone _characters.

Author's Note: I couldn't help it, all the songs are stuck in my head anyway.

"_I put a monkey on a pedestal, and tried to make that monkey stay. And he did for a time, but he needed to climb, and with other monkeys play…far away_!" Jenna sang to her reflection, weeping softly. "_He left his jacket on that pedestal, beside his tiny, rusty cup…And I haven't got the strength to pick them up_." Sniffling, she continued, "_Oh, monkey, monkey, monkey, you broke my heart in two! But I'll always save that pedestal…for…you_!" She shifted her gaze to the framed photo of her and Paul that rested on her vanity. "_Come, my little monkey,_" she coaxed, "_Come, my little monkey do…_"

Then there was a knock, and Jenna turned around to see Liz standing in the doorway. "Oh, hello, Liz," Jenna said, gently patting her eyes with a tissue.

"What's wrong?" Liz asked, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Jenna sighed. "Oh, Liz, it's tragic…I've been replaced."

Liz tilted her head to the side. "What? Who told you?"

Jenna's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

There was a brief pause – Liz thought quickly. "The same thing you're talking about," she said.

Jenna slumped in her chair. "It's Paul," she said. "He's replaced me with…Ch-Ch-Cher!" She began to sob again.

Liz patted her friend's back awkwardly. "It…is…be all right," she said, biting her lip (she never had been good at the consolation thing). "You wanna tell me what happened?"

Jenna explained that she witnessed Paul dressed as another woman – "namely, Cher!" – and that he tried to cover it up with some lame excuse. "What a tramp," Jenna said.

Liz shook her head. "You can't blame Cher for this."

"I meant Paul!"

Liz nodded in understanding and waited for Jenna to stop crying. When this didn't happen, Liz stood up a little straighter and said in a bit of a shaky voice, "Jenna, I-I'm sorry, but I have, like, three weddings to go to today, so…I've really got to go. Again, I'm sorry. I hope everything works out with Paul."

Jenna dismissed her friend with a wave of one hand, her face buried in the other. When Liz had left, Jenna reached for a tissue and honked into it.

"Ew, that's disgusting."

Jenna snapped her body around and glared at Frank. Of course, Liz had been too absentminded to close the door. _Some friend_, Jenna thought.

"Can you do it again?" Frank asked, clearly intrigued by her mucosal situation.

"Get out of here, Frank," Jenna commanded, grabbing the closest item on her vanity and throwing it at him. Surprisingly, he caught it.

"Is this you and Paul?"

Jenna groaned. She hadn't meant to throw the photograph.

"Yeah. Give it back."

"I couldn't tell if it was him underneath all the make-up."

"Well, it is. Give it back."

Frank walked over to hand it to her, and she placed it face-down on the vanity. "Is something going on between you two?" he asked seriously.

Jenna's expression was anything but soft. "Isn't there a moron convention somewhere you're missing?"

Frank shrugged. "Fine. Be that way. I was just trying to be nice." He turned to leave.

Jenna looked puzzled. "You were?"

Frank reached the doorway and looked back at her. "Yeah, I was. Sorry. I'll leave you alone."

"Wait –" Jenna stood up and tossed the used tissue into the wastebasket. She vacillated for a minute, then finally said, "Thank you, Frank. Thank you for…trying to be nice."

Frank grinned at her. "Anytime, Jenna. Except Monday through Friday."

She tilted her head in confusion. "But we don't see each other on the weekends," she pointed out.

"Exactly," Frank nodded, then turned and left.

Jenna sighed and pushed the door closed. She retreated again to the one thing she could always count on – her mirror.

"_Oh, monkey, monkey, monkey! You broke my heart in two…But I'll always save that pedestal _–" She fixed the photograph – "_for you._"

Another tear rolled down her face but she wiped it away with a finger. "Come, my little monkey," she whispered. "_Come, my little monkey…do._"

She looked at her reflection, a sense of reassurance washing over her at the sight of her own appearance.

"Oh, myself. You always know the right thing to say."

-END-


End file.
